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Cast: Pedro Alonso, Tristán Ulloa, Michelle Jenner, Begoña Vargas, Julio Peña Fernández, Joel Sanchez, and Maria Isabel Rodríguez
Creator: Álex Piña
Director: Albert Pintó, David Borracal
Streaming On: Netflix
Language: Spanish (with subtitles)
Runtime: 8 Episodes, Around 1 hour each.
Berlin Season 1 Review: What’s It About:
Berlin is the newest Netflix show coming from Spain, and it is a spin-off of the popular Money Heist, also known as “La Casa de Papel” in its original Spanish language. The series is a prequel to the original show and brings back fan-favorite character, Andrés, also known as Berlin, as he reunites with one of his old crews to perform another impossible heist; however, like usual, things will not be as easy as he thought.
Berlin Season 1 Review: Script Analysis:
Berlin is a very strange show, not because of the story it tells or how it is filmed or anything like that. It is a strange show because of its existence. The series is a prequel to Money Heist, which, of course, was a very popular show and one of the first international hits for Netflix. In Money Heist, the character of Berlin becomes a fan favorite; however, something happens during that show that makes the Berlin character exit the story for a while. This exit made the character reach a level of legend within the show’s universe, but that legend was easily broken.
As new seasons of Money Heist kept being released, the writers of the show were having a hard time justifying the integration of Berlin into the story. At points, it became ridiculous that the character was still going around after everything that happened, but he was a “fan favorite,” so the writers forced themselves to include him. Berlin, the show, feels like an extension of that obsession to keep this character around, and sadly, it fails to recapture the magic of those first Money Heist seasons.
The script feels very much in line with the rest of the Money Heist universe, and Berlin still feels the same. It is clear that the Berlin role must be the most important role that Pedro Alonso has had in his career, and he commits to it completely. Sadly, the script retains the same flaws the original show had and so, we are trapped listening to countless narrations coming from Berlin, telling us how he feels at every moment, what he is thinking, what he will do, and much more, all of it with a severe level of verbosity, and disregard for the economy of language.
Less is often more, but Berlin doubles down on all the things that make the original seasons of Money Heist so compelling. However, the result is a show that tries too hard to recapture the magic of the original show and then does nothing to make itself stand out. As the season progresses, we see more and more parallels to the original show, and while some people will have fun identifying the callbacks, in reality, this only reflects a lack of creativity.
Berlin Season 1 Review: Star Performance:
Berlin is not alone in this journey, of course; he is accompanied by an entire cast of characters that seem to be tailored to fit the roles of the original crew in Money Heist. It is because of this that the entire series feels like a big callback instead of its own thing. However, this is not the actors’ fault, as all of them do a great job embodying these characters that, at times, jump the shark into cartoon territory.
Pedro Alonso keeps being charming as Berlin, and even when the character has overstayed its welcome, it is clear why he became popular in the first place. Meanwhile, Begoña Vargas and Julio Peña Fernandez, who played the characters of Cameron and Roi, are out of new Tokyo and Rio, and they basically replay that relationship once again here. There is chemistry between the actors, and that makes the flirting fun and gives the character an actual dynamic that goes beyond the plot, something other characters lack.
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Berlin Season 1 Review: Direction & Music:
When it comes to its presentation, the show feels very much in line with the things Money Heist was doing in its last seasons. There is an overreliance on narration to communicate things that are plain to see in the scenes, and that becomes quite insufferable, as well an overreliance on the “cool” moments that were iconic in the original show, but here they are done knowing that they are supposed to be iconic, which make these scenes feel like imitation and nothing more.
The series is well shot, and the budget can afford great locations and sets, but it still feels too much like Money Heist. This could have been the chance to take the show in a different direction, something that is unique to Berlin as a character, but we are still trapped under the Professor’s shadow. The use of music is also the same, with rock music coming every once in a while to accentuate the cool moments and other more dramatic pieces ready to take the drama and tension to new levels.
Berlin Season 1 Review: Last Words:
Berlin is entertaining if you know what you want. It is more of the same Money Heist that you enjoyed so long ago. However, the show struggles every single episode to justify its own existence, and at many moments, I couldn’t really understand why we are still following this character. It feels pointless, especially as we know how he is going to end. And yet, there is still enough tension and over-the-top moments that will make heist genre fans happy to go back to this world.
Here’s the trailer:
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